Creating more controversy in the Congress, former TNCC president E.V.K.S. Elangovan has written to AICC president Sonia Gandhi against appointing former Union Ministers P. Chidambaram or Su. Thirunavukkarasar as the next party chief in Tamil Nadu.
The correspondence comes to light at a time when Mr. Chidambaram and Mr. Thirunavukkarasar are being seen as the front-runners for the post. Mr. Elangovan’s rivalry with both these leaders is well known.
While Mr. Elangovan had cited the alleged “inaccessibility” of Mr. Chidambaram as a major issue, the letter states that Mr. Thirunavukkarasar was still seen as an outsider with his penchant to jump parties.
Sources in the TNCC said that Mr. Elangovan had strongly recommended the names of senior leaders Sudarsana Natchiappan and Peter Alphonse as the best choices for the TNCC president post, from which he stepped down weeks ago. In fact, he has even suggested that actor Khushboo be considered for the top post given her popularity among masses.
In rooting for Mr. Natchiappan, the former TNCC president contended that he was a “true Congressman” who had never left the party. On the other hand, Mr. Alphonse had the advantage of hailing from a minority community and has a strong equation with the DMK, he wrote.
